News for 07 December 2020
All the news for Monday 7 December 2020
Keepers play star roles as Central Falcons claim premier hockey title in shootout thriller
The Central Falcons celebrate winning the premier hockey league. Hockey New Zealand
The Central Falcons won a thrilling penalty shootout to win inaugural New Zealand men’s Premier Hockey League titles over the Southern Alpiners in Hamilton on Sunday.
The final went into a shootout after late goals each way meant the scores were tied 1-1 at fulltime.
Goalkeepers Dom Dixon and George Enerson let in just one of five penalty shootout attempts (from Stephen Jenness, Falcons) with several field goal attempts brilliantly saved.
Victorious Falcons captain Shea McAleese acknowledged the keepers’ efforts post-match.
“Both teams put on a bit of a defensive display and both keepers played really well … and credit to Dom (Dixon) who obviously saved all three, which is uncommon.”
After a scoreless 58 minutes, Falcons striker Sam Hiha found himself in space in the circle and nailed the opening goal.
The Alpiners immediately took off their keeper, winning a penalty corner a minute later which Sam Lane converted with a drag flick.
The first half had featured a classy save from Alpiners keeper Enerson to block a strong Dylan Thomas shot.
Dixon wasn’t to be outdone by his opposite as he made an outstanding save of a cracking Nick Ross shot after the Alpiners skipper made a clever intercept.
Black Sticks captain Blair Tarrant had one of the best chances of the final quarter as he stole the ball and one-on-one with the keeper he lifted the ball wide.
The league’s MVP Jacob Smith (Falcons) knocked it in from the spot later in the match but it was ruled out as he used the back of the stick.
The Hiha and Lane goals followed to send the match into a penalty shootout with the solitary Jenness goal being the match and title winner.
Falcons keeper Dixon - who didn’t concede in the shootout - was the key to the victory.
Central Falcons 1 (Sam Hiha 58 min) Southern Alpiners 1 (Sam Lane 60m). Falcons won the penalty shootout 1-0 (Stephen Jenness)
The Hauraki Mavericks collected the bronze medal with a 4-1 victory over the Northern Tridents.
Mavericks skipper Nic Woods led the way for his side collecting two goals to finish as the league’s top goal-scorer with nine.
In the first half there were limited goal-scoring opportunities until the final minutes, when Mavericks goalkeeper Leon Hayward brilliantly saved a Cory Bennett drag flick.
Boosted by Hayward’s effort, the Mavericks then went ahead with a nice touch from Matt Rees-Gibbs right on halftime.
Immediately after the break Woods put the home side 2-0 ahead with another drag flick penalty corner goal, this one in off the defender on the left goalpost.
The Northern Tridents finally got on the scoreboard with a Steven Edwards field goal to be just 2-1 down heading into the final quarter.
Late goals from Cam Hayde and another drag flick from Woods put the result beyond doubt at 4-1, handing the Mavericks the bronze medal.
Hauraki Mavericks 4 (Matt Rees-Gibbs 30min, Nic Woods 33, 60m, Cam Hayde 55m), Northern Tridents 1 (Steven Edwards 38m)
Stuff
Five still fighting for three playoff spots in Belgium
With the end of the first half of the Belgian season in sight, five of the top eight playoff spots are already confirmed but the remaining three are in the balance with five clubs in contention.
Racing Club de Bruxelles got a vital 3-1 away win over already KHC Leuven, fighting back from an early concession to a Lucas Vila goal. Diego Lucaccioni leveled from a corner and Racing won the game in the second half courtesy of goals from Victor Wegnez and Lucaccioni.
At 2-1, Racing survived a green card to goalkeeper Jeremy Gucassoff and a penalty corner which was charged down. The result lifts them into eighth place with a big few days coming up with Braxgata one point back – but with an extra game played – and Herakles two points off in arears but with two games to go.
La Gantoise are assured of top position at Christmas following their 4-1 success against Beerschot kept them seven points clear of the chasers as Etienne Tynevez continued his goalscoring streak with two, adding to one each from Blaise Rogeau and Leandro Tolini.
Orée were 2-1 victors over Dragons with John-John Dohmen’s first goal for the club proving the difference in the 52nd minute. The former sit second in the table while Dragons are in seventh place and will probably need to pick up a result to copper-fasten their place in the playoffs.
Royal Léopold are another side confirmed in the playoffs, sitting in third place after their 4-3 win over Daring with Tom Boon scoring twice. The result condemns Daring to the relegation pool.
Ninth place Braxgata kept up their chances of a playoff spot with a 3-1 success against Antwerp with Loïck Luypaert recording two goals.
The games between Namur and the Waterloo Ducks and Old Club against Herakles were both called off due to frost. Herakles are in tenth spot but if they can win the refixture of their game against the bottom side, they can jump up a couple of places.
Euro Hockey League media release
Scottish North Conference delivers another weekend of competitive hockey
There was much to savour in today`s North Conference, Aberdeen University gain full marks for a 3-2 win over Ellon for their first points of the season in the women`s event, while in the men Gordonians fired in nine against Ellon.
Aberdeen University were not slow in showing their upset credentials, inside two minutes, they went ahead in rather curious circumstances. A shot from Sophie McGlynn seemed to have been from outside the circle, it was left by the Ellon keeper as it entered the net, but the umpire awarded a goal nevertheless.
Undaunted, Ellon persisted and were rewarded with an equaliser, a great run by Brooke Willox on her debut set up Gracie Grey-Giles to finish off the move.
In what was becoming a ding-dong affair, the students went ahead for the second time when Mia Kennedy fired home a rebound at a penalty corner. Back came Ellon and Abby Wilson levelled at 2-2 with a conversion at the back post.
However, it was the students who stole the show and the points, a cracking strike from the top of the circle by Stephanie Wilkie to round off the upset. Ellon then planted themselves in the students` circle for the last ten minutes in search of another equaliser – but to no avail.
At the end, Ellon captain Louise Gordon admitted: “Bad result for Ellon. We seemed to be lacking the fight today.
As a result, Gordonians extended their lead at the top of the table with a 2-1 win over Granite City Wanderers. The leaders started off rather slowly and found themselves a goal down early in the first quarter.
Although Gordonians quickly recovered their composure, it took to the third quarter before they made any inroads into the deficit. Some great work down the left-hand side by Lyndsey Davidson created the opening and Alice Pridham finished off the move. The winner came from a penalty corner conversion by Hannah Mitchell.
Captain Rebecca Murray assessed: “We were really pleased with our performance today and it`s great to see the youngsters continue to progress week on week.”
In the men`s Conference, an open play strike from Doug Soden gave Granite City Wanderers a half-time lead over a rather depleted Aberdeen Grammar FP outfit. Despite that disadvantage and Granite City dominating proceedings, that was how the score stood going into the final quarter of the game.
Then Granite City made their superiority tell in goals, a well-worked penalty corner switch gave Neil Morton-Lloyd the opportunity to add a second. Soden got his own second from open play and the scoring was completed with a direct set piece strike from Andy McLaren for the fourth.
However, Granite City still remain in the second spot as leaders Gordonians beat Ellon 9-1 to hold on to pole position on goal difference.
Gordonians coach Adam Walker embarked on another squad rotation policy, Matthew Humphreys, the oldest player at 25, was in midfield. Ollie Serle retained his place in goal after last weekend`s debut, and Craig Dickson made his first appearance.
Despite the apparent experimentation, Gordonians launched into a goal avalanche, five up after the first quarter and although the spate slowed up afterwards the league leaders still rattled in nine at the end.
There were two goals each for Harry Leggett, Robbie Wallis and Paul Weston while the others emanated from Ciaran Mackland, Louis Roddy and Phil Moon.
A Gordonians` source said: “A combination of well worked outfield goals and confidently executed corners saw us go 5-0 up in the first quarter. “In the second half the quality dropped off slightly with passes being misplaced, while Ellon continued their willingness to look for attacking opportunities and this culminated in their scoring a well worked back post outfield goal.”
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Season in review: UNC field hockey avenged its only loss in 2020 with another ACC title
By Ryan Wilcox
Karen Shelton talks to her team during a timeout during the ACC Field Hockey Championship game against Louisville on Nov. 8, 2020 in the Karen Shelton Stadium. UNC beat Louisville 4-2, securing their fourth consecutive tournament championship. Photo by Angelica Edwards | The Daily Tar Heel
Revenge is a dish best served cold, but the Tar Heels didn't wait too long to get theirs.
UNC field hockey came into the 2020 campaign riding a historic 46-game winning streak, looking to complete a third straight perfect season that would end in a national championship. The team won its season opener against Wake Forest, 3-1, extending the streak to 47.
Then, on Oct. 2, the Tar Heels played Louisville on the road.
They went down 1-0. They went down 2-0.
Their comeback attempt was stymied and they ultimately lost, 3-1, ending the longest active win streak in Division I sports and the second-longest win streak in NCAA field hockey history.
Head coach Karen Shelton later said the team was sluggish in that game, perhaps a result of an unusual season altered by COVID-19. The Tar Heels had just eight regular season games — half the number they normally play — all against ACC opponents. And there was a nearly two-week gap between the Wake Forest game and the Louisville game.
Still, Shelton and others were quick to say that the team had to (and would) play better. Players mentioned being able to play more freely after the loss, not having to deal with the pressure of perfection every game. Against Duke and Virginia, UNC won its next two games by a combined eight goals.
The margins became thinner after that; the Tar Heels won 2-1 against Virginia on Oct. 12 and 1-0 against Syracuse on Oct. 16. They then had to sweat out a 5-4 overtime win against the Blue Devils, a team they had handled 4-0 just two weeks prior. Junior forward Hannah Griggs scored the decisive goal to avoid a second loss in the 2020 season.
After a matchup against Boston College was postponed and then canceled due to COVID-19, UNC closed the regular season with another rout of Wake Forest, 5-0. Next came a shot at the ACC Championship, and a shot at avenging the team's only defeat since 2017.
First, the team would have to survive more late-game dramatics. After a 4-0 win against Boston College in the conference quarterfinals, the Tar Heels found themselves in overtime against Syracuse, with a spot in the ACC Championship against Louisville on the line. When senior Bryn Boylan delivered on a penalty stroke goal in the fifth minute of overtime, Shelton became the winningest coach in NCAA field hockey history — nabbing her 701st career victory in a stadium bearing her own name.
"I'm proud of our team for finding a way to win," Shelton said after the game. "We wanted to play for a championship, we wanted to have another chance to play Louisville, and we've earned that."
And so just a little over a month later, North Carolina got its rematch against the Cardinals, this time with a conference title on the line.
Again, they went down 1-0. Again, they went down 2-0.
But this time, the Tar Heels ripped off four straight goals to complete a comeback, and something of a revenge tour, with a 4-2 win. Star forward Erin Matson notched two goals, while Boylan and sophomore Madison Orobono each added one.
"Once we lost (to Louisville), then had an opportunity to play against them for a championship," Boylan said, "that got us fired up."
In a normal year, Shelton's team would be gearing up for another national title run right now, but the NCAA postseason was delayed to the spring due to the pandemic. The Tar Heels will have to wait to put the finishing touches on this bizarre year and end an only-slightly-imperfect season with a national championship win.
Until then, they'll have to be satisfied with a fourth straight conference title, their 23rd all time, plus avenging their only loss of the last three seasons in dominant fashion.
The Daily Tar Heel
ASICS continues longstanding partnership with Hockey Australia
Hockey Australia’s association with ASICS will go past two decades after the leading running shoe brand extended its partnership for another four years.
ASICS is Hockey Australia’s Official Footwear Supplier and provides its world renowned footwear to Australia’s two flagship national teams, the Kookaburras and the Hockeyroos.
The contract renewal will take the partnership up until the end of 2024.
“We are thrilled to have had ASICS as part of the Hockey Australia family for nearly 20 years and now with this new commitment, it will take it past two decades,” said General Manager Commercial, Communications and Events, Tim Cherry.
“In a challenging and congested sporting sponsorship market, to have this longevity and association with a brand of the stature and reputation of ASICS is something we are extremely proud of.”
The length of the association, which began in 2004, highlights the positivity, respect and ongoing benefits for both parties.
Mark Brunton, Managing Director of ASICS Oceania commented: “We are delighted to be extending our agreement with Hockey Australia for a further four years.
“Hockey has a rich history in Australia and we are very proud to be part of that.
“We are looking forward to the opportunity to showcase our innovative footwear at the highest level during an exciting period that includes two Olympic games and a World Cup."
Hockey Australia’s ASICS athlete ambassadors include Kookaburras co-captain and games record holder Eddie Ockenden, midfield dynamo Jake Whetton, highly talented forward Tom Craig, formidable goal scorer Blake Govers and gun Hockeyroo forward Grace Stewart.
The announcement of the partnership renewal coincides with ASICS release of new colours of their Hockey range, the Field Ultimate FF & GEL-Peake.
For more information on ASICS visit asics.com
Hockey Australia media release